Today, there is tremendous opportunity to change and improve the way individuals exchange data. Engineers and scientists are now developing technologies and devices that can be employed to allow cable subscribers to make telephone calls, transmit faxes and perform other telecommunication functions over the cable network. One technology just combines into one system two separate switches, one that switches TDM data and one that switches packets. Other architectures have been suggested. In any case, the basic job of the switch is to provide a system that brings together the time division multiplexing (TDM) telephony switching technology used by telephony circuits with the IP switching technology employed by the cable network. Thus, as networks merge, systems are being designed to accommodate both TDM circuit traffic and packet traffic simultaneously.
Whatever the architecture, or approach taken, the system will still need to support calls between two or more parties. It is generally understood that calls are supported by circuits that are (typically) bi-directional entities that require both ends of the calls to be set up to support the circuit. The act of setting up a call involves a step of provisioning resources at either end, both local and remote.
Provisioning may be out-of-band—such as SS7 signaling—which requires an additional communication channel, or in-band which requires some available bandwidth for the setup control messages. In-band mechanisms are often preferred because they eliminate the additional control channel, however as they compete for resources, many in-band control systems are inappropriate for switches that must meet the demands of moving TDM data over an IP network
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a control scheme that operates with communication systems that support call distribution over a mixed network.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a control scheme that operates with communication systems that support call distribution over a mixed network.